


feather soft flutters (of my heart)

by the_midnight_huntress



Series: of snakes and eagles [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Eventual Romance, Fluff, Friendship, HogwartsAU, M/M, Ravenclaw!Will, Romance, Slow Burn, Slytherin!Nico, but he doesn't realise it yet, nico is a smol bean, solangelo, these dorks are so cute, will is awkward and so so in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-22 12:13:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11967141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_midnight_huntress/pseuds/the_midnight_huntress
Summary: Wherein Will Solace learns not to rely on rumors.





	feather soft flutters (of my heart)

The room was lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and hundreds of gilded, mahogany desks. The glow of oil lamps at regular intervals threw writhing shadows on the walls, illuminating the heads bent over, poring over notes and tomes in a desperate attempt to cram facts into their brains. The only sounds were the scratching of quills against parchment and the occasional flutter of a page turning.

CRASH.

The serenity of the atmosphere was shattered abruptly as he dashed past the desks, with a shoulder bag crammed full of heavy books and several more balanced precariously in his arms. Nearby students threw him withering looks and Will cringed inwardly at his own actions as he dashed along the aisle between two bookshelves. He had always hated those who disturbed the peace of this sanctuary but now he was guilty of the same misdemeanor.

No matter. His goal was in sight. The polished oaken doors of the library were just a few feet away. As he sprinted towards them, he cursed his own foolishness at forgetting he had Potions this afternoon.

_I hope Cecil saved me a seat_ , he thought desperately. _Maybe Professor was late today-_

He crashed into a solid body and was thrown back. Books and rolls of parchment spilled out of his arms and he lay there, sprawled upon the cold flagged stone floor, for several breathless moments, head spinning and chest heaving. His elbows stung where the skin had been scratched. What in the name of Merlin-?

There were loud shushing sounds from several directions.

‘Watch where you are going,’ a voice snarled and, an apology already forming on his lips, Will looked up.

All thoughts promptly stuttered to a halt.

Large dark eyes stared back at him from across the mess; eyes filled with the intensity of crackling flames and swirling storms, ringed with long lashes and set against a pale face.

Eyes that were suddenly much closer to him now.

‘Well?’ The boy demanded, leaning towards him with an air of impatience. ‘Are you going to say something or just stare at me like a dumb troll?’

Heat crept up his neck and to his ears, and Will scrambled to his feet. ‘I’m really sorry, I was in a such a hurry, I am late for my Potions lesson and I wasn’t looking where I was going-‘

The other merely snorted disparagingly before starting to gather his scattered belongings. Will proceeded to do the same, heart still hammering in his chest and face warm, though no longer simply due to his mad sprint and the ensuing embarrassment.

‘Well, I’ll be going to now,’ the other spoke sharply after a minute, before standing up and walking away.

Will was tempted to call after him, to say something, _anything_ , but the words lodged somewhere in his throat and were left unspoken and forgotten, like a pack of cards thrown into a never-ending abyss. He sighed and dropped his gaze mournfully towards the floor and that is when it caught his eye- a soft glint of metal, catching the incandescent glow of the oil lamps, next to _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi._

 Will reached forward and picked up the quill, but a quill the likes of which he had never seen before. The feather was a sleek black one, unusually long and curling at the tip, embedded into a golden base and a nib that tapered to a sharp point. He twirled it in his long fingers, gazing in awe. At one end of the shank was a name inscribed in a flowing cursive script reminiscent of olden times:

_Nico di Angelo._

_\-----------------------------------------------_

‘This guy must be rolling in gold,’ Cecil said later that evening as they trooped to the Great Hall.

He was observing the quill with an air of one who knew what they were talking about. And then he froze, his eyes comically wide and mischievous face filled with shock.

‘What’s the matter?’ Lou Ellen asked from Will’s other side as they walked up to the Ravenclaw table and took their seats. Her emerald eyes sparkled with curiosity. When the other failed to elicit a response, she poked him with her fork. ‘Oi, Markowitz.’

‘Nico di Angelo?’ Cecil hissed, rounding on Will. ‘The guy you bumped into was _Nico di Angelo_?’

‘Yeah, that’s his name,’ Will responded distractedly. He had yet to take his seat. He was craning his neck, looking for the smaller, dark-haired boy in the hopes of returning his quill before dinner.

‘Dude, do you even _know_ who that is?’ Cecil demanded.

Frowning in confusion, Will turned to look at him. ‘What are you even talking about?’

‘Does his last name not ring a bell? You are lucky to have escaped unscathed after you bumped into him. He has hexed people for less!’

Slowly, comprehension dawned on his face and with it, a leaden weight dropped into his stomach. ‘You mean, _the_ di Angelo? As in, Hades di Angelo?’

‘Who’s that?’ Lou demanded impatiently. She was Muggle-born and thus, had grown up without hearing the stories of the much feared Slytherin.

Hades had been the older brother of their Headmaster, Zeus, a fiercely competitive and intimidating individual in his day, who had first retained the position of Defence against the Dark Arts professor for several years before becoming more ambitious and seeking to replace his brother as Headmaster. The famed ‘Battle between Brothers’, as it had grown to be called, had left remnants in the shape of a crumbling fountain, a gargoyle with a chink of its leg missing and overgrown weeds in the southernmost courtyard where few ventured.

Will was not listening as Cecil regaled these stories to Lou Ellen, and more- (Nico hitting a girl with a Bat-Bogey Hex for accidentally causing him to drop his notes, Trip Jinxing students left and right as he sauntered along the corridor)- his thoughts far away and heart exceptionally heavy. Although he would never admit it, he had daydreamed about those eyes that reminded of star-studded night skies and glittering galaxies. Could it be? Could Nico be the same power-hungry individual as his father, cold and ruthless? Not all Slytherins were bad after all. Look at Piper McLean, for instance...

‘Will? Hey, Earth to William Solace!’

He was brought unceremoniously to the present and blinked. His best friends were scrutinising him.

‘I know what you’re thinking, mate, but it’s not worth it,’ Cecil said shrewdly as he handed back the quill. ‘He’s bad news. Trust me.’

Lou nodded uncertainly. ‘We just don’t want you to get hurt, honey.’

Will sighed heavily and nodded. ‘Yeah, you’re right. I’ll just return this to him and never talk to him again.’

‘That’s right,’ Cecil said encouragingly. ‘Plenty of fish in the sea, right? It’s probably for the best. You don’t know what he is capable of-‘

Something collided sharply with Will and he was nearly sent flying into the platters of hot buns and salted meat. He spun around to shout at whoever had done it and stopped short.

A familiar dark-haired figure was walking rapidly away from him, head down and shoulders hunched.

Cecil and Lou Ellen had fallen suddenly quiet.

Will swallowed hard and sank into his chair at last, a knot of guilt forming in his stomach as he observed the other boy from afar. He had half a mind to go over and apologise but as Nico slid into the bench next to a beautiful girl with a lapis lazuli feather braided into her hair, she shot Will the most disgusted look and turned away.

He sighed.

\-----------------------------------------

Will moped for the next few days, although he would vehemently deny engaging in as tedious an activity as _moping_ if you asked him. He spent most of his time holed up in the library or his dormitory, twirling the quill over and over in his fingers and trying not to think of dark eyes and a mop of unruly, raven hair.

He failed dismally.

He wanted to return the quill and maybe, possibly, apologise ( _oh, how he wanted to_ ) but every time he recalled the look Piper had given him, as though he had committed a heinous crime, or the way Nico had slumped as though he had been hurt badly by the words, all his courage evaporated and he was left to stare idly at the canopy of his bed.

‘This is going too far,’ Lou Ellen exclaimed one week later, on a fine Saturday morning as she marched into the dormitory and snatched away his sheets. Will whined pathetically and tried to snag them back. ‘What has gotten into you? You need to man up and return the quill. Only then will you be able to move on from him.’

‘You talk as if they were dating to begin with, and then broke up,’ Cecil joked.

Will and Lou glared at him.

‘Look,’ Lou said, turning to the blonde boy splayed across the bed. ‘I am giving you an ultimatum. You will return the quill today. Otherwise, I’ll go talk to him myself and trust me, you do _not_ want me to do that.’

_That_ got his attention. Recognizing defeat when it stared him in the face, he acquiesced.

\-------------------------------------------

It did not take long to find him. Apparently, he was part of the most well-known group of witches and wizards of Hogwarts and Will knew they always hung out by the lake. The weather was warm, but a cool breeze wafted towards him, the wind brushing against his skin like cool fingers, bringing with it the smell of pine and freshly-turned earth. Splashes of clouds were rolling in from the horizon and Will predicted a light rainfall soon.

He walked in the direction of the lake and could make out the shapes of a dozen or so people. His heart started to beat faster. Fear churned like acid in his veins. The quill was inside his robes and it burned an acute awareness through the thin fabric, emblazoning itself in his mind. There was still time, he reflected. He could still turn back. Perhaps he could bribe Cecil into returning the quill for him.

He swallowed hard and took the last few steps.

Jason and Percy were duelling near the water, their laughter ringing in the air, while Leo was tinkering with a misshapen object nearby. It was emitting green sparks and an acrid smell. Their girlfriends were nearby, engrossed in urgent conversation.

Nico, settled under the maple tree a little further away, flanked by two girls, was the first to notice him. Will knew because the smaller boy stiffened and stared steadfastly at the scene before him. Percy had turned Jason's hair a vivid, electric blue, amidst much cheering and a wolf-whistle from Leo.

Will cleared his throat nervously.

The two girls turned to stare at him. One had cinnamon colored curls cascading down her back and golden eyes that reminded him of a lion’s- Hazel Levesque, of Hufflepuff. The other had a thick braid and wore the silver and green colours. ( _Oh shit, that's Reyna_ , his mind screamed at him.) Her eyes had narrowed and watched him with obvious hostility as Will took a few steps forward.

‘Uh, Nico..? Could I have a word?’

Nico could no longer ignore him. With a sigh, he rose to his feet and approached Will, who was reminded forcibly of a panther. It was the graceful, predatory movements, confident but wary.

‘Yes?’ Nico said coldly.

Will could feel the warmth spreading to his face again. The dappled sunlight cast a halo around Nico’s face, softening the sharp, regal features and lightening the dark irises so that they appeared chocolate brown rather than black. He appeared younger, more vulnerable than he was and Will felt that swooping sensation in his stomach that he had come to associate with guilt.

‘You dropped your quill the other day,’ he stammered and held out said object.

There was a pause. Nico stared at him before slowly taking the proffered item.

‘Thank you,’ he said.

There was another pause.

‘Well, if that is all,’ Nico said coolly before turning on his heel and marching away.

Will stared after him, dumbstruck, his skin burning and innards doing somersaults. He felt inexplicably confused about what had just transpired. This was what he had come to do. Return the quill and walk away. His best friends had _warned_ him. And yet...

And yet, he wanted more. He wanted to apologise, to remove that hurt, that vulnerability that he had put in that face. He wanted to get to know Nico, to see what others did not see.

Piper smiled at Nico as he was returning to his place between Hazel and Reyna and he said something in response.

Or perhaps, see what these people saw in him. After all, he could not be the ruthless monster of the rumours if he was such a close friend of few of the most well-liked people of the school. He could not be like his father if he had not cursed Will for bumping into him and then keeping his quill for several days.

Steeling himself, Will called out, ‘Nico!’

The other turned around.

‘I was wondering, uh,’ he stuttered. ‘I was wondering if you would like to hang out with me sometime?’

Nico appeared taken aback. Confusion and apprehension flitted across his face, a maelstrom of mixed emotions, before he nodded.

‘O-okay.’

Will grinned. ‘Cool. Uh- okay. See you around then.’

‘See you.’

As Will walked away, his heart felt lighter, his feet as though they were not touching the ground and he very nearly hopped in delight. It was like feathers tickling his insides. He was glad. Even if Nico turned out to be the person everyone thought he was, Will was glad he had given him the benefit of the doubt.

He was sure he would not regret this.

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Voila! This is my first fanfic ever, so please let me know your thoughts. Criticism, feedback and suggestions are welcome...scratch that, they are my life-force. So press that button!  
> If you ever want to rant and squeal about these two dorks, about books in general or just want to talk, hit me up on my tumblr: themidnighthuntress


End file.
